I had gone to my secondary school few days back
to collect my S.S.C.E certificate urgently needed to complete my university’s
final clearance. I waited for about an hour before the principal arrived.
Immediately she walked in she shouted “up NEPA” to my dismay. This slang is the
greatest hymn title for the average Nigerian. I could see the joy, relief in
her eyes as well as the eyes of other school heads there. The thing is, “up
NEPA” signifies the triumphant entry of power into the home of an ordinary Nigerian,
held back by instances of sustainable power supply. We can now charge our
phones, watch our favourite television program and allow our hearts leap for
joy for no ‘just’ cause. The Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) is
responsible for Nigeria’s energy supply. It is aired that Nigeria is capable of
generating around 3’500MW of electricity which is below the country’s needs
despite government investment of around $1 billion annually. Other West African
countries are not left out as the high rate of poverty is majorly caused by the
low energy supply.
Who are women? Being a woman goes beyond having
hefty bosoms and nurturing skills. What if, just what if the woman is given the
opportunity to corroborate the light that the world needs? A woman that can
find her way through dark patches in the room where there is “down NEPA” to get
that match-stick, light up the room for the safety of her kids; she can, as she
had, for centuries be the best in the class and the energy to other women.
Until Africa and indeed West Africa accept the fact that women’s role as
background syndicate is a defect to everyone’s development, energy access can
never be hundred percent. It starts from the home, the first social contact of
the girl child. Why would she not be allowed formal education? Even when
allowed, why is it cut short? It gets worse when you visibly encounter
compromised situation in education. Why will the young bubbling girl be
‘thrown’ in ARTS and Social Studies against her will while her male counterpart
is kingly in the Sciences?
I would bet my last dough on the fact that there
is shortage of women in ministries and agencies that formulate technical and
engineering dictums in universities. So why won’t there be discrepancies in the
rules that govern the ways and manner subjects are to be taught to favour both
genders. Indeed, chances have been compromised. The roles of women and the
master-plan they choose to inculcate have been bedeviled by unwholesome
instances of ill-content. The average Nigerian is awed, puzzled, rebuffed, when
he hears a woman say ‘I studied petroleum engineering’, or ‘I intend to work as
an electrical officer in charge of maintenance in the energy sector of the
country’. The saddest is seeing a woman on a ladder, effecting repairs to a loose
wire on the high pole. She becomes a laughing stock as well as the reigning
celebrity.
The causes of gender inequality in the energy
sector in West Africa are not farfetched. We are lukewarm to change. I would
not want to be a psychologist here. If we trust women with our food, water,
clothes and all, why can’t we with our energy supply. What would want to kill
that dream of a woman who wants to effect transformation to the energy
efficiency of her country? Lack of education will, compromised learning choices,
lack of encouragement through communal psychological torture, ministerial
failures and governmental unfairness, unsolicited exclusion from technical and
decision-making programs, and corruption in the administrative policies in
energy will. I have never seen governmental committees on power, task force on
energy rejuvenation, power distribution companies, headed by a woman talk more
of a female deployed technician deserving a standing ovation.
As a continent, as a community, we can never
stand tall. Poverty rate is glaring, hardship, unemployment, financial
constrains, and under-development. What is more? So much money is wasted on a
single cause gone wrong. There is not a single economic pursuit that does not
directly and indirectly rely on electricity, yet no meaningful profit, why
would there not be hatred, clashes, seeking of greener pastures and leaving our
lands bare. The gods have indeed want to punish us by first making us mad – for
we cannot grasp impartial and genuine intellectual accordance to the female
gender. Vital sectors of the economy are also affected as there is no broadband
forum united in women empowerment so as to foster sharing of ideas and reduce
intellectual monopoly. It has affected our perception of the woman, as
imperfect and unfit. Alas, the discretion and continued psychological decay on
gender issues.
How can all these be addressed? Ecowas Network on
Gender Mainstreaming in Energy Access has dubbed its 2015 essay competition for
young Africans ‘#Standtall’. What decorum! I am being brainwashed for good.
Thousands of West Africans will hear me and millions will hear ECOWAS.
Government plans must also align, high schools and colleges must be educated on
gender issues. Ghana, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, and Equatorial Guinea is prompting
the establishment of a regional gas companies in dealing with issues of supply
of natural gas and re-gasification units in sub-regions. I just hope women are
given chances to head administrative positions. Education of the girl child
should not even be an issue of discussion; every child should be allowed
his/her intended field
The hard stance of OPEC not to curb crude oil
output in the face of plummeting prices comes off as a grand experiment and a
workable policy following scandals and illegality rocking petroleum sectors
especially in Nigeria. Diezani Alison-Madueke deserves mention here, as her
being president of OPEC has encouraged women not to limit their roles in
foundational issues on energy. That openness of the people and encouragement
from within will salvage the loss of human resources. Government should
promulgate laws that will foster this equality so as to heighten exposure and
limit incompetent gestures. I have read textbooks that authoritatively spelt
out the unemployable stance of women in science, technology, engineering and
mathematics fields, that their agility will deny the sector needed output. Am
clueless here, aren’t both sexes supposed to complement each other? Continuity
in female participation must be maintained!
The outcome of all these will be huge:
employment, poverty eradication, women empowerment, even development. All these
are true taste of an African testimony. What is more? Respect and love between
both sexes as a result of financial breakthrough, booming economic market,
sustained developmental projects, refurbished energy alliance with other
developed countries because of their perceived maturity in us (West Africans),
reduction in manipulation and corrupt tendencies , and so on.
To conclude, I place my hand on my chest and
justify the above spelt out solutions: that #Standtall initiative should be
mimicked by other organizations because it will emancipate women through
educated minds; that government plans can foster gender equality in the energy
sector through decorating women as partakers in the administrative affairs as
it is done in other advanced countries; markets will be open, survival of the
fitness will be crushed; education will be respected and of effect; diverse
knowledge will be put into use for good; family and continental empowerment
which is the overall justification will be attained.
For ECOWAS ECOWGEN #Standtall
Essay competition (submitted 06/04/2016)
http://ecowgen.ecreee.org/index.php/standtall-gender-mishap-derivative-paroxysm-in-the-energy-sector-in-west-africa/
No comments:
Post a Comment